Grazie mille, Monica! As Solzhenitsyn famously said: "They are lying. We know they are lying. They know we know they are lying. Yet, they are still lying."
Great idea: the KGB makes money for themselves by selling confiscated material on the black market. This is smart, Portia. Love this idea. Do you know why Kustodiev painted such plump women? He said that, being constantly hungry after the Revolution, he satisfied his hunger by imagining these plump women, eating and drinking.
Thanks, Larisa, it does seem plausible for the KGB, doesn't it?
I thought it could be like that for Kustodiev, the Merchant's Wife painting is from 1918, as a matter of fact. The watermelon looks so luscious, the cake fresh out of the oven, the lady is beautiful and well-nourished, such a dream when you're starving.
I am so mad, I wrote about one of my acquaintances who lived by selling the banned books and lost my text. OK, very plausible. I am afraid to click the wrong letter and lose another text. But how did you come to this idea?
Writing online can be so maddening, right? You carefully compose your reply, and then all vanishes in an instant, lost forever God knows where.
This idea? I must have read it somewhere, maybe even here on Substack. A couple of weeks ago, I came across an article about Yuri Andropov, and that apparently he was Vladimir Vysotsky's huge fan. Weird, isn't it? I'll send you the link, I just have to retrace my readings back. So I thought, if the KGB big boss listened to the bards, and other music not in line with the Party's diktats, there were possibly in the same organization, people reading and spreading banned books.
I read also about him that he loved poetry and even composed something. I am not sure, because I already lived in America. But he was a smart man in this organization. He could be Vysotsky ‘s fan and Marina Vlady. This couple helped KGB and government to carry many prohibited by European laws things abroad, to the Paris and other Soviet embasses.
Now we seem to be getting to the nub of it. And the footnotes are as telling as the motivations and and scheme of this dastardly yet lovable group of ne'er-do-wells. Will this commercial caper come up trumps? We can only wait for the next ep. T
Oh I wanted to write and forgot: once, when forums existed and were in full bloom so to say, me and friends were talking of who reminds whom of who, and one girl said that I remind her an earring in this Merchant's Wife's ear. That was so peculiar and unexpected a comparison, I was very suprised. yet remember until now
Thank you so much, dear Chen, also for the restack! I'm happy you like it.💃🏻 And many million times thanks for your super generous gift, I'm moved and all warm inside.🥰
This was fun!!!
Thanks, Despina, I'm so flattered you liked it!
This is such fun , Portia.
Aw, thanks me ol' China, your opinion is gold to me!💛
You’re welcome me duck 🙂
Love the piece, Portia, and especially love the footnotes.
All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others. Ah the graft and contraband. Always and everywhere.
Grazie mille, Monica! As Solzhenitsyn famously said: "They are lying. We know they are lying. They know we know they are lying. Yet, they are still lying."
Great idea: the KGB makes money for themselves by selling confiscated material on the black market. This is smart, Portia. Love this idea. Do you know why Kustodiev painted such plump women? He said that, being constantly hungry after the Revolution, he satisfied his hunger by imagining these plump women, eating and drinking.
Thanks, Larisa, it does seem plausible for the KGB, doesn't it?
I thought it could be like that for Kustodiev, the Merchant's Wife painting is from 1918, as a matter of fact. The watermelon looks so luscious, the cake fresh out of the oven, the lady is beautiful and well-nourished, such a dream when you're starving.
I am so mad, I wrote about one of my acquaintances who lived by selling the banned books and lost my text. OK, very plausible. I am afraid to click the wrong letter and lose another text. But how did you come to this idea?
Writing online can be so maddening, right? You carefully compose your reply, and then all vanishes in an instant, lost forever God knows where.
This idea? I must have read it somewhere, maybe even here on Substack. A couple of weeks ago, I came across an article about Yuri Andropov, and that apparently he was Vladimir Vysotsky's huge fan. Weird, isn't it? I'll send you the link, I just have to retrace my readings back. So I thought, if the KGB big boss listened to the bards, and other music not in line with the Party's diktats, there were possibly in the same organization, people reading and spreading banned books.
I read also about him that he loved poetry and even composed something. I am not sure, because I already lived in America. But he was a smart man in this organization. He could be Vysotsky ‘s fan and Marina Vlady. This couple helped KGB and government to carry many prohibited by European laws things abroad, to the Paris and other Soviet embasses.
It is a great idea. At least something about them, petty and disgusting, and can be true, but for the lower slice of them.
Now we seem to be getting to the nub of it. And the footnotes are as telling as the motivations and and scheme of this dastardly yet lovable group of ne'er-do-wells. Will this commercial caper come up trumps? We can only wait for the next ep. T
Tim, you make it sound so exciting! Thank you for the lovely comment and the restack.🩵
Come sempre delizioooooso! ;-*
Grazie mille, tesoro!😍
The Merchant's Wife at Tea is a stunning work of art, Portia.
Kustodiev was a very interesting artist: https://www.wikiart.org/en/boris-kustodiev. Thanks for you comment and note, Michael!
Oh I wanted to write and forgot: once, when forums existed and were in full bloom so to say, me and friends were talking of who reminds whom of who, and one girl said that I remind her an earring in this Merchant's Wife's ear. That was so peculiar and unexpected a comparison, I was very suprised. yet remember until now
It's a great compliment. They're pretty and refined, pearl and amber.
"Enough is as good as a feast" -- love it! I'm stealing it, too.
Thank you, David! It's not my invention though, apparently, it's inspired by a Matthew verse in the Gospels. I wish I was that good!
Ahahaaa!!!!! That needs to be stolen for quotes. Such fun, thank you, Portia!
Thank you so much, dear Chen, also for the restack! I'm happy you like it.💃🏻 And many million times thanks for your super generous gift, I'm moved and all warm inside.🥰
❤️🪄Thank you❤️
Interesting excerpt, Portia, and I really enjoyed the footnotes!
Thanks, Amanda, I'm happy to hear this!